Story

After serving people in the healthcare industry for over 70 years, the legendary Upjohn headquarters building on Henrietta Street in downtown Kalamazoo received a little TLC itself.

Built in the mid-1930s, the building was the original home of the Upjohn Company; the name was a prominent one in Kalamazoo. The Upjohn family was a fixture in the community, and played a large role in its development.

The building was designed by legendary architect Albert Kahn, a close personal friend of Henry Ford. Kahn's firm designed all of Ford's offices, and more than likely many of the company's factories, as well.  Over the years, business mergers and changes caused the building to be owned by Pharmacia, then Pfizer, who in 2005 donated it to Bronson.

Dormant for several years, the building was sound structurally but had an infrastructure that was not in functional condition. All new systems had to be installed, including mechanical, electrical, sewer, gas, and more. And none of that work could begin until asbestos abatement effort was completed.

To incorporate fiber optics and other elements of today's critical systems, behind-the-wall channels had to be enlarged. Floor-to ceiling notches had to be cut in some plaster walls in order to replace old utility service or to extend it to areas where it hadn't previously been. The building's elevator also needed replacement.

The restored Upjohn headquarters building is a welcome sight to all in the Kalamazoo area. Its new usefulness and vitality will come in a warmly familiar package.